


Calling the Shots

by Ninja_Librarian



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allergy Shots, Dang it Jim I'm a librarian not a medical professional, Keith did a dumb thing and Lance has no idea, Keith is a Nurse, Lance is a Photographer, Lollipop flavors are argued over, M/M, Medical stuff, Meet Not-So Cute, Modern AU, Needles, So expect medical inaccuracies despite doing tons of research, These boys are dorks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 16:16:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14697789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninja_Librarian/pseuds/Ninja_Librarian
Summary: Lance was ready to try anything to take care of his allergies, including allergy shots. And if that meant he got to spend time with a cute nurse, well, it couldn't be that bad, right? Well, the one who walked in that very first day wasn't exactly what he was hoping for but was just what the doctor ordered.In his defense, Keith was having a bad day. He didn't mean for this to happen or go on as long as it has. It's not his fault that he keeps being the one to administer the allergy shot to the hot guy who may or may not have (read: definitely did) pissed him off upon their first meeting.





	Calling the Shots

“So what’s the verdict, doc?” Lance asked as he watched the ginger-haired allergist take a seat on the stool across from the exam table.

“Well, according to these test results, it looks like your friend and primary care doctor are right, you could definitely benefit from allergy shots to battle your reactions to pollen,” Dr. Coran Smythe said. “You’ll need a shot at least once a week for at least three months, possibly longer. We’ll start with one dose a week and evaluate at a later time to see if we need to make the doses more frequent for your immune system to build up.”

Lance couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. His allergy medications weren’t doing a thing for him, and as he was a photographer and frequently did outdoor shoots for events, he couldn’t afford to be constantly sneezing and having watery eyes while working. There was only so many times that he could claim that the watery eyes were because he just loved weddings so much.

“When can we start?” Lance asked.

“Today, if you want. I know they don’t work that well for you, but go ahead and take one of those antihistamines you brought in. Sometimes the shots give off an allergic reaction, so the antihistamine may reduce those symptoms slightly. Once that kicks in, and you get the shot, we’ll keep you here for about half an hour just for observation.” Coran explained.

Lance nodded, glad he had taken the entire day off. “Yeah, that’s do-able.”

Coran nodded and stood up. “Go ahead and take that pill, and I’ll get a nurse to prep a kit for you.”

_Well, hey,_ Lance thought as he tore open one of the packets of small white pills. _Bonus benefit: getting to hang out with a cute nurse for over half an hour._

*****

Keith Kwan, Registered Nurse, was not a happy man as he angrily put down the kickstand of his motorcycle, grumbling under his breath as he went through the staff door, slamming it behind him.

Allura, the nurse practitioner at the allergist practice, looked up from the file she was reading at the nurse’s station and raised an eyebrow at him. “Mind those hinges, Keith.”

“I do what I want,” Keith snapped as he stomped back to the break room, starting to take off his jacket, stuffing it and his helmet in his locker.

“Dare I ask?” Allura asked, coming to the entryway, leaning against the doorframe.

“Really, really bad day,” Keith said, stripping out of his jeans, his red scrubs underneath. “My alarm didn’t go off because my phone died because the charger got unplugged, so I was late to class so of course I couldn’t find a place to park Red. And then, because it couldn’t get worse, I failed a pop quiz in the class I was actually on time for. Then I made the mistake of trying to get lunch on the way to work, which was a disaster because the girl at the counter of McDonalds just stood there the entire time, blowing bubbles with her gum and typing in orders at a snail’s pace, then threw a hissy fit because she chipped a nail—and I don’t know how she managed to tell, since it was covered in so much glitter and fake gemstones—then threw her visor at her manager and quit on the spot. And I managed to hit every single red light in this stupid city each time I tried to go anywhere. So, yeah, I’m pissed off and I don’t think this day could get any worse.”

“Well, it can only get better from here,” Coran said jovially, popping up from behind Allura. “Keith, your first task of the afternoon: allergy shot for the patient in exam room three.”

“Yeah, got it,” Keith said, pulling out his scrub top from the locker and pulling it over the long sleeved black shirt he wore, then grabbed his name tag. “Let me wash my hands then I’ll pull the kit.”

Allergy shots. That was easy enough. Had done it a thousand times. Could do it in his sleep. Actually had done it in his sleep and woke up to find a very irritated roommate who did not appreciate having his arm pinched in the middle of the night and a ballpoint pen pressed to his skin.

Keith flipped through the file Coran left for him. He gathered everything he needed; the rubbing alcohol and gauze, band-aid, vial, syringe and needle. Despite noting that the patient was an adult male, Keith decided to snatch a lollipop from the bowl Allura kept at the nurses station. Keith always kept a lollipop on him while on duty; lollipops usually fixed everything at any age.

Still riled up from the morning, Keith took a deep breath before knocking on the door to Exam Room 3, trying to erase any remaining irritation from his face.

He knocked, heard a ‘Come in!’ and he pushed open the door to see a tall, Latino male with brown hair and blue eyes seated on the exam table.

“Hello,” Keith said. “I’m Keith, and I’m going to give you your allergy shot.”

“Lance,” The man responded, giving Keith a small smile. “And, uh, I guess I’m here to get stabbed.”

Keith turned towards his tray when he heard Lance say, “Uh, no offense, but I was kind of hoping the nurse would be cute.”

All of Keith’s meditative chants were gone, all of the Zen he had mustered before entering this room was obliterated as he gritted his teeth.

Just when his day couldn’t get any worse…

He hated the quips about being a male nurse from guys who were so called “macho men” like this guy apparently was. He loathed the assumptions that he wanted to be a doctor but didn’t get in to med school. Wanted to commit murder every time he heard the ‘of course you are’ comments he got whenever he said his profession after someone learned of his sexual orientation or vice versa. No, he chose this profession, and he worked his butt off every single day to advance his career. He loved his job.

But he had had a really crappy day. This guy was just the icing on the cake.

But, no.

A small, evil smile graced Keith’s lips before he schooled it into a friendly, professional look.

This day was out to get him. But he was going to get revenge.

He turned around, pretending he hadn’t heard Lance’s comment. “Alright, sir, now I’m going to need you to drop your pants.”

The man on the exam table blinked. “Um, why?”

Keith tilted his head, as if the answer was obvious. “To get to your buttocks for the shot, of course.”

*****

Lance felt his eyes widen slightly and he gulped. Though he was glad to finally be getting allergy shots and hopefully be rid of his seasonal problems, he still didn’t like the idea of the needles.

He definitely didn’t like the idea of those needles anywhere near his butt.

“Oh,” He said, coughing into his fist when he realized that it came out as a squeak. “Uh, the doctor, Dr. Smythe, he, uh, he didn’t mention that the shot went… there… Um, is there any chance—”

“No,” Keith the nurse said quickly, a brief shake of the head. “This is the only way allergy shots can be administered.”

“What, really?” Lance said, feeling his stomach churn slightly. “Are you sure?”

Keith frowned at him slightly. “Now, sir, I have been to school for this. Graduated with high honors, in fact. Are you insinuating that I don’t know how to do my job?”

“Well, no, but—”

“Have _you_ been to nursing school? Medical school?” Keith challenged.

“Well, uh, no…”

“Exactly,” Keith said, the smile returning to his face. “Now drop them.”

Lance got to his feet, hands going for the button of his jeans, wondering just what the quiznak he had gotten himself into.

*****

As Keith washed his hands, he had this distinct feeling that what he was about to do was going to come back to bite him. Sure, Allura would laugh, and probably so would Coran; maybe they got a bad Yelp review but the gazillion four and five star ratings the practice currently got would easily hide a one star review.

But, nevertheless, he went along with his own plan, snapping on a pair of gloves and grabbing a pad of gauze and the bottle of rubbing alcohol. “Alright, now I’ll let you pick. You want to lie on the table on your stomach, or lean over?”

“Uh, Dr. Smythe said you’d have to observe me for half an hour after,” Lance said, trying to keep his pants up enough to preserve modesty. “So, uh, does that mean being in the same position?”

“Yes, of course,” Keith said, putting the alcohol on the gauze pad. This was a half-truth, because, “The better to observe the injection site. Just in case.”

“Then, I’ll lie on the table, I guess,” Lance said nervously, awkwardly climbing onto the exam table again.

Keith knew he was being cruel, especially when he had to hide his snort of laughter as Lance let out a yelp at nearly tripping over his own pants.

But he needed a highlight of his day.

*****

Lance felt his cheeks heat as he pillowed his face on his folded arms. Meanwhile, his other cheeks were exposed to the cold air. He shivered and let out a small yelp as he felt even more coldness— _wet_ coldness, ugh—touch his skin.

“Sorry, should have warned you,” Keith said as he swiped the cold wet gauze pad over Lance’s skin again.

“It’s fine,” Lance got out. He wriggled slightly as he suddenly felt a pinch on his butt.

“Stop squirming,” Keith ordered.

“Stop groping me.” Lance shot back.

“You want this to work or not? Because it won’t work if I can’t pinch the skin. It’s got to go into the fat, not the muscle.”

“Excuse you, my butt is not fat!”

“Everyone has fat in their butt. Now, seriously, stop moving, or I won’t give you a lollipop.”

Lance stopped squirming, but only because he was too surprised by the nurse’s words. Wasn’t he a little old for lollipops? Still, he couldn’t resist asking, “What color is—OW!” He resisted the urge to bring his hands to his abused derrière, surprised by the sudden pinch. “Warn a guy next time, will ya?”

“It’s red,” Keith said, ignoring Lance as he brought another pad of cold wet gauze across the injection site. “Cherry.”

“Darn,” Lance grumbled. “My favorite’s blue raspberry.”

“Blue raspberry isn’t a real flavor, but I’ll keep that in mind,” Keith said.

“Uh, excuse you, it’s totally real! Why else is there so much of it?”

“Alright, it’s not a real fruit. Raspberries are red, and it doesn’t even really taste like raspberry. It tastes like artificially colored lies.”

“Yes it does, you cherry-loving scum of the earth!” Lance snapped, lifting his head to look over his shoulder and glare at the nurse.

Keith laughed as he took off his gloves, tossing them into a trashcan. “Shows what you know. I hate cherry.”

“Then what do you like, knower-of-all-things?” Lance demanded.

“I prefer strawberry,” Keith said, coming around to lean against the wall in front of Lance’s head, folding his arms over his chest. “So. How you feeling?”

“Like I just got stabbed in the butt by a sadistic nurse.”

Keith seemed to find that funny and laughed again. Which, admittedly, did something to Lance’s stomach and heart. Maybe he needed to re-evaluate and take back his earlier statement that Keith wasn’t cute.

Then again, cute probably wasn’t the right word either. Hot. Handsome. Gorgeous.

And he had groped and stabbed Lance’s butt.

_Am I a masochist?_ He wondered.

*****

“Seriously,” Keith said. “You feel lightheaded? Or does your throat itch? Feel like you need to sneeze?”

“Uh, at the moment I’m good, I think.” Lance said.

“Does it itch around the injection site?” Keith asked.

“No, the place where you stabbed me is itch free.”

“Alright, but say something if that changes. The most common side effects happen around the injection area. Typically tenderness, swelling, and itchiness. But we’ve still got about twenty-five more minutes of observation before we know you’re in the clear.”

“Ugh,” Lance said, dropping his face onto his arms again. “Lying here is so boring.”

“You’ll live,” Keith said with a bored tone and a shrug.

“You don’t know that,” Lance argued, lifting his head again. “I’m ADHD, man. The more I get told to stay still the more my brain tells me to move.”

“Alright, fair. So let’s distract your brain. What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a photographer,” Lance explained.

“Oh, cool. So, do you do stuff weddings or sports or portraits?”

“A little bit of everything. Mostly events like weddings and big parties—galas and proms and stuff—but sometimes I’ll get asked to do photo shoots for engagement or pregnancy announcements or family portraits.”

“Do you have a preference, the events or the smaller shoots?”

“Not really. I like the atmosphere at the big events and how it’s all so busy and there’s so much to capture, but I also like the smaller shoots. It’s fun talking with the brides and new moms-to-be about wedding plans and baby names and that sort of thing. It’s nice to be involved in such a happy time for them.”

Alright, so maybe this guy wasn’t as big of an asshole as he originally thought. Keith tried hard not to feel guilty about that.

“So what about you?” Lance asked, jerking Keith out of his thoughts.

“Well, my profession is kind of obvious,” Keith said.

“I would hope so, and you weren’t just some maniac who went around, stealing scrubs and stabbing people in the butt willy-nilly,” Lance said, twisting his wrist in a circular motion slightly. “But you’ve got have hobbies or something.”

Keith shrugged. “I go to the gym. I draw. But mostly I study. I’m working on my Bachelors in nursing.”

“Oh, that’s cool. What are you going to do with that?”

“I want to work as a critical care nurse. Working here pays the bills and gets me job experience while also giving me an easier schedule for school.”

“Smart.”

“I’d like to think so,” Keith responded, pushing himself off the wall with his shoulders, taking the few steps necessary to cross over towards the exam table. “Just checking the injection site for swelling…” He explained. After a moment, he nodded mostly to himself. “Looks good.”

“I’d like to think so,” Lance said in a lofty tone.

Keith briefly wondered if he could get away with pinching or smacking this guy’s rear in the name of checking for tenderness, but decided it was better to not push his luck.

But, now that he’d mentioned it… Lance did have a rather nice booty.

_Enjoy it while it lasts,_ Keith told himself. _’Cause you are probably never going to see it again._

*****

“Alright, you’re good,” Keith said as the alarm on his watch went off. “You’re free to go.”

“Really?” Lance said. “It’s been a half-hour already?”

“That’s what my timer says,” Keith said. “Need help getting upright?”

“Pssh, naw, I’ve got it,” Lance said, pushing himself up with his hands. Now he just had to figure out how to get his pants back up and not fall on his face like an idiot.

He somehow managed and was pulling up his zipper when he heard a rustling sound and Keith reached into a pocket on his scrub top.

“Here,” He said, holding out the object. “One lollipop, as promised.”

Lance chuckled and took it, pulling off the wrapper. “Thanks, man. Even though it is cherry.”

Keith simply nodded, then turned to pull on the sanitary paper on the exam table, getting it ready for the next poor unfortunate soul to be pinched and stabbed. “Stop by the receptionist on your way out.”

“Geez, and I thought we had something special here…” Lance said, narrowing his eyes slightly and pouting. “You groped my butt and everything. A bonding moment, if you will.”

Keith let out a snort of laughter and looked over his shoulder. “Oh, trust me, I don’t think I’m going to forget you anytime soon.”

Lance felt his cheeks go as red as the lollipop in his hands, grasping for words other than ‘Holy crap’ to come to his head.

Keith started to push his tray towards the door. “You stand there long enough and people will start hanging their coats on you.”

With that, he left the room, leaving Lance feeling incredibly flustered.

*****

Keith felt incredibly smug the rest of the day. For the next two days, in fact. Sure, he got a scolding from his roommate, Shiro, when he finally spilled the reason why he came home smirking, rolling his eyes and promising not to take a risk like that again.

_But, really,_ he thought, _what could possibly go too terribly wrong?_

Except then the next week came. Allura passed him a patient file for a patient who would be there in twenty for an allergy shot.

And Keith looked down and felt his eyes widen, his stomach churn, and his heart jolt.

Because there, in all caps, was a name.

Lance’s name.

_Oh… Oh quiznak…_

This gave him three options: admit that he lied last week, continue the charade he had started from last week, or ask another nurse to take the case.

Well, those were the three options a rational person who currently wasn’t thinking “Quiznak, quiznak, quiznak, I quiznaked up so bad, oh quiznak…”.

Option two was the only really option for Keith’s brain.

Flustered, Keith went through the routine motions. He got everything he needed, checking and double-checking, and still somehow found himself at the door to Exam Room 3 once more with Lance on the other side.

Guilt stirred in Keith’s gut. Here he was, betraying a patient’s trust, betraying his boss’s trust, betraying his own moral code and professional standards, all from a moment of petty spite.

And yet, when he opened the door, he was greeted with a smirk, finger-guns and, “Do you have an inhaler? Because you took my breath away.”

And… that moment of guilt was over.

Keith smiled and pushed the tray in. “Hello, Lance. Now why don’t you get comfortable while I get this set up?”

Lance nodded and jumped to his feet, fingers going for his belt.

The process went smoothly, save for Lance fussing at Keith to warn him about using the rubbing alcohol because it was cold. (Keith may or may not have pinched him extra hard in retaliation.) The timer was set and now they had a half hour to kill.

“So,” Keith said, leaning against the wall. “Got any fun shoots coming up?”

“Oh, yeah!” Lance said, suddenly looking excited. “So, tomorrow, I’m doing this maternity shoot and I did one for this mom-to-be about five years ago, and that was really fun, because my partner, Shay, does this thing where she paints designs on the mom’s belly. Last time, it was _Starry Night_. You know, the Vincent van Gogh painting? She was really excited to do this again, and to get a new design. This time we’re going to do sunflowers. She wants to put the photos side by side as a ‘you are my sunshine and I love you to the moon and back’ kind of thing. It’s going to be amazing. Shay’s even going to paint big sister-to-be’s face with little moons and stars and she’s got this cute little dress with constellations on it… It’s going to be epic.”

“Sounds awesome. And fun.” Keith said, trying hard not to wonder too much about the use of the word ‘partner’. “I’d love to see the results.”

“I’ll try to remember to put some of the photos on my phone to show you next week,” Lance said. “It’s really awesome. Shay’s awesome.”

Keith decided to go out on a limb. “It always sounds like a great thing when you can do things with the people you love.”

Lance blinked, face crumpling into confusion. “Huh? What?”

Keith felt his face heat. Maybe he should have stayed firmly on the ground. “Uh, you just, um, you called Shay your partner, and I guess I’m just used to that being another term for significant other and so…”

“Oh, yeah. I really need to stop doing that. No, Shay’s my _business_ partner. She’s actually my best friend Hunk’s girlfriend. Really sweet, I’ve known her since college.” Lance explained. “She’s also a photographer, but also a really great traditional and digital artist. If it’s art or a craft, Shay can do it, it’s like magic.”

“What about you?” Keith asked. “Is photography the only thing you can do?”

“Well, that and knitting. But that’s more of a stress-relief thing as well as a keep-hands-busy-during-sit-still-and-listen-time thing.”

“Makes sense. But from the sounds of it, photography keeps you pretty busy.”

“That it does. Keeps life interesting, too.”

Before he knew it, the timer was going off and Lance was free to go. Keith finished gathering things on the cart and was about to leave when he heard from behind him, “What? I wasn’t good enough of a patient to get a lollipop today?”

Keith paused, then fished in his pocket, pulling out the only one he had, tossing it at Lance playfully.

“Aw, man, grape?” Lance said. “I must have been bad.”

“Only one I’ve got, so take it or leave it.” Keith said with a shrug.

In response, Lance tugged off the wrapper and stuck the lollipop in his mouth, smirking slightly around the white stick.

“Don’t forget to sign out with the receptionist,” Keith said.

“See you next week, nurse!” Lance called behind him.

Keith scoffed slightly once the door was closed.

So lightning struck twice. No way it’d happen a third time.

*****

Lance couldn’t believe his luck. Three for three, Keith was the one who walked through the door. And not impressed with the wolf-whistle and drawn out “Hello nurse!”.

“Hello, Lance,” Keith said. “Ready to get this show on the road?”

Lance nodded. Within moments, the shot was administered and Keith’s timer was running.

“So… Are you a _Star Wars_ or _Star Trek_ kind of guy?” Lance asked as Keith leaned against the wall.

Keith groaned. “Ugh, not you, too… Look, my best friend and roommate is a Trekkie. His girlfriend is a… What are _Star Wars_ fans called? Warsies? I don’t know, but she’s that. So they try to drag me into their so-called arguments over which is better, and I refuse, because neither of them are really seriously into an arguing over it, they just want an excuse to have make-up kisses or sex or whatever.”

“Geez,” Lance said, shivering on the guy’s behalf. Boy, did that sound like Pidge and her boyfriend, Shiro… “That’s rough, buddy.”

“You don’t know the half of it.”

“Right, so, pop culture preferences aside, tell me about you.”

Lance watched as Keith frowned. “About me?”

“Yeah, last time I told you all about my shoots and stuff, now tell me something about you.” Lance encouraged.

“Like what?” Keith asked.

“Oh, come on, there’s got to be something. A fun fact or something.”

“Fun fact… Okay, here’s one. I collect knives.”

“That’s… Dude, that’s not a fun fact, that puts you at the top of a ‘potential serial killer’ list.”

“You asked for a fun fact, that’s the only thing I’ve got.”

“I’m sure that’s not the only thing.”

“I drive a motorcycle? Her name is Red. Does that count?”

“I’m slowly getting a better picture of the man that is Keith Kwan.”

“ _Nurse_ Keith Kwan,” He corrected. “I earned my RN, and I will darn well have it respected.”

“Fair enough,” Lance said. “You got a girlfriend, maybe?”

“Er, uh, no,” Keith said, looking suddenly awkward. “Uh, never have and never will. Girls aren’t, uh, my type.”

“I gotcha,” Lance nodded. “Completely gotcha. I’m bi myself. Both in the ‘this is my sexuality’ way and ‘my current relationship status’ way.”

Keith grinned at that, visibly relaxing. “Same with my current relationship status.”

So he did stand a chance with the hot, butt-pinching nurse!

All too soon, the timer went off and Lance was free to leave.

He was pulling his pants back up when he once again heard a rustling sound coming from Keith, who pulled a lollipop out of his pocket.

“Here,” Keith said, holding out his hand. “I made sure I got a blue raspberry this time.”

Lance smiled, his heart fluttering as he accepted the lollipop. “You remembered,” He teased.

Keith shrugged. “I do my best to remember things like that for our regular patients. By the end of these one-week cycles, I’ll probably know the names of everyone in your family.”

“Then I hope you’ve got a lot of memory storage space in your brain, because I’ve got a lot of family,” Lance told him.

“I like a good challenge,” Keith told him. “I’ll see you next week, Lance.”

Lance watched him leave the room. He grinned.

He liked a good challenge, too.

*****

Keith knew what he was getting into when he chose nursing, long before he sat down in the high school guidance councilor’s office to discuss admission and nursing schools. He knew he’d end up touching and seeing a lot of gross and weird things. Honestly, that was half of the draw to the profession for him.

Yet walking into Exam Room 3 and seeing the bronze, naked lower-half of his patient (and crush) still caught him off guard.

“Lance, what the quiznak?” Keith hissed as he closed the door quickly behind him. “You got some sort of exhibitionist thing going for you or what?”

“Okay, so, I came to two conclusions,” Lance said, looking over his shoulder as he tossed his underwear on top of his jeans on the nearby chair. “The first is that it’s really hard to get up and down off the table every week with my pants around my knees.” For emphasis, he hopped up onto the exam table, laying down on his stomach as usual, though also much faster being unencumbered. Keith felt his cheeks heat with both anger and arousal at the sight, and decided that now was a really, really good time to wash his hands. “The second is that it would make it easier for you if I was already ready to go when you walked in. You’ve got other patients to see, and that sort of thing.”

“You know it’s purely coincidental that I’ve been the one to give you this shot every week now, right?” Keith told him. “You know how awkward and embarrassed both you and another nurse would have been if this is what she walked into, meeting you for the first time?”

“I took a calculated risk,” Lance informed him.

“I don’t think I want to know what your probability and statistics grades were like, then,” Keith said as he stuck the needle into the vial, filling up the syringe with the correct dose. Ugh, he knew without looking at the long, perfect bronze legs stretched out on the table that he was going to spend his evening stuffing ice cream in his face and complaining to Shiro about Lance and Keith’s stupid crush on him once again.

“And maybe I asked Dr. Smythe if I could request you specifically, too.” Lance added, smirking slightly as Keith’s cheeks heated.

Keith hated how each week he found himself with a fluttering heart and knotted stomach every time he encountered Lance, and hated that he had started to set his alarm for five more minutes just to talk with him longer. Hated how he knew all of Lance’s siblings names now, and that Lance knew whenever he had a big test and would ask him how it went. Hated how they had become so comfortable with each other and knew so much about each other, but yet they were still practically strangers, separated by a curtain of professionalism.

Damn it, Shiro was right, he did have it bad for this guy…

“So, I’ve got good news,” Keith told Lance as he started cleaning up—trying desperately hard not to give into temptation and watch Lance re-dress well over a half-hour later. “Based on these results, Dr. Smythe says that next week is your last week of doing this once a week. Then we can go on to a twice-a-month cycle. Then after a few months of that, we’ll do every third week, and after a few months of that onto a once-a-month basis.”

“I’m glad to hear that, but also kind of bummed,” Lance said as he stepped into his jeans. “Means I won’t get to see your handsome face once a week.”

Keith snorted slightly at that. “Let me guess. That makes up for sadistic stabbing at the same time, right?”

“Well, you know what they say, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down,” Lance said, grinning at him.

“Speaking of sugar,” Keith said, reaching into his pocket, pulling out a blue lollipop. “For being such a good patient.”

Lance accepted it with a grin.

Keith’s heart fluttered.

_Not now, feelings, we’re on the clock._

*****

“So,” Lance said, tugging off the wrapper of the lollipop. It was now or never… “Uh, you’ve got any plans for the weekend?

“Studying mostly,” Keith said. “But I am going to a party on Saturday night.”

“Ah,” Lance said, deflating slightly inwardly. He had been hoping Keith was free that night, come to the football game viewing party he was hosting with Hunk and Pidge at their apartment… “Well, I hope you have fun. You deserve a break from studying with how hard you work.”

“Thanks,” Keith said, giving him a small smile. “So, I’ll see you next week then.”

“Yeah. Next week…” Lance said.

His last weekly appointment.

He was going to miss this every week.

(Maybe he was a masochist…)

*****

Keith didn’t really want to go to this party. He didn’t even like football. But it was being hosted by Pidge and her roommates, and Keith liked Pidge, so he’d attend for her sake. But, more importantly, Shiro loved Pidge and Keith liked making Shiro happy. Even if that meant going to a strange place to be surrounded by people shouting over a game that made zero sense to him.

Pidge’s roommate, Hunk, let them in to the house, directing Shiro and Keith to the kitchen where Pidge was. Keith struggled to keep close to Shiro, who walked about easily with familiarity.

Keith paused in the doorway of the kitchen, sucking in a breath as an unexpected piece of familiarity stood in the kitchen, facing a counter while arranging some food on a platter.

He would knew that backside anywhere…

Oh… quiznak.

And, of course, before he could run away, Pidge disengaged her mouth from Shiro’s long enough to see him and say, “Hey, Keith!”

*****

Lance froze at the counter.

Keith?

_It’s just a coincidence, don’t get too excited,_ He chided himself. _There’s a lot of people named Keith._

He just couldn’t think of anyone else other than the nurse at the allergist’s office.

Lance turned around and, lo and behold, there stood Keith Kwan, R.N., in all of his mulleted glory.

He realized then that he had only seen Keith wearing scrubs before. He looked rather nice dressed in black skinny jeans and a black t-shirt with a red dragon on it. Way easier to tell that Keith hit the gym frequently.

Lance met Keith’s eyes and…

Yeah, okay, this was awkward. Really awkward.

Pidge waved Keith in further, and he did so hesitantly.

“Keith, this is my roommate, Lance.” Pidge introduced. “Lance, this is Keith, Shiro’s roommate.”

Lance smiled shyly. “Uh, yeah. Keith and I already know each other. I guess you could say he’s the pain in my ass. Literally.”

Keith’s cheeks turned pink as Pidge and Shiro both gave Lance a confused look.

“Uh, what?” Pidge asked, blinking in confusion.

“Keith’s the one who gives me my allergy shots,” Lance explained.

“Right?” Pidge said, still looking like she didn’t get it. “But how can Keith literally be a pain in your ass?”

Keith’s cheeks were turning red now and Shiro suddenly stood straighter and looked at Keith, a grin spreading across his face.

“No way…” Shiro whispered.

Lance ignored them, saying to Pidge, “Um, allergy shots? They’re supposed to go in the butt…”

*****

Keith could only watch helplessly as his so-called best friend Shiro clamped a hand to his mouth and wished he could melt into a puddle onto the floor.

Keith’s stomach churned and he could feel the color draining from his cheeks as Pidge just stared at Lance for a moment, mouth open, then she slowly said, “Lance. What the quiznak are you talking about?”

“You get allergy shots, too, you should know!” Lance argued.

“I do get allergy shots. In the arm. Like every quiznaking person who gets an allergy shot.”

Lance looked so confused. “What? No, that has to be a mistake. Are you sure that the person who gives you yours shots has actually been to medical school?”

Pidge took a deep breath, closed her eyes, pushed her glasses back, then opened her eyes, narrowing them at Lance. “Okay, one, I recommended the allergist office to you, Lance. And two, I get my allergy shots from there. And three, Keith’s given me shots before. Always in the arm. Dude seriously once ruined the mood of movie night during his midterms week by sleepwalking out into the living room and giving me a ‘shot’ on my arm using a mechanical pencil, then pulled a chap stick from his pocket, which he gave to me for being a good patient.”

By this point, Shiro had turned his back to them, doubled-over and wheezing with laughter behind his hand.

Keith felt like he was going to be sick as he watched the dots connect in Lance’s eyes.

Lance turned slowly to look at him…

And Keith turned on his heel and ran out of the room.

*****

Lance watched Keith run, blinking a few times.

What the heck just happened?

Actually, what the heck had been happening for the last three months?

Shiro was now gripping the kitchen counter to support himself, he was laughing so hard. But still, he got out, “I told him… I told him that this was going to come back to bite him… Gets what he deserves…”

“Wait a second,” Pidge said with realization, eyes going wide as she stared at Lance. “ _Keith_ is the hot nurse you’ve been talking about for the last three months?” She looked at Shiro. “So, wait, does this mean…?”

“Yup,” Shiro said, then he let out a giggle that didn’t sound like it should have come out of a six-foot-five man with more muscles than a professional quarterback. “Lance is the guy Keith bemoans having feelings over every single week.”

“He… HE WHAT?” Lance screeched. Then, without waiting for a response, he ran from the room after Keith.

Shiro only laughed.

Pidge groaned, but then grinned wickedly. “Dibbs on being the one to tell this story at their wedding.”

*****

Keith didn’t think his face would ever not be red again as he sat on the curb, his head in his hands.

He couldn’t believe this had just happened. That he had just been outed in the worst possible way.

Lance was going to hate him, he was going to lose his job, he’d get kicked out of nursing school, they’d take away his license, he wasn’t going to be able to make rent and he’d be out on the streets and only practicing nursing on sewer rats, and—

“You know, you should have bought me dinner first if you wanted to get me out of my pants so bad.”

Keith lifted his head and turned around to see Lance standing there in the glow of the streetlamp. He didn’t look angry, but that didn’t quell any of the guilt that Keith felt.

“I’m sorry,” He said. “I was… I had a bad day, and I took it out on you when I really shouldn’t have, it was unprofessional not to mention just a—”

“Relax, man,” Lance said, sitting on the curb beside him. “I’m not going to sue or tell your boss or anything like that. I probably deserved it.” He smirked at Keith and gave him finger guns. “Nurse, I need a blood transfusion, and I think you’re my type.”

Keith snorted, ducking his head as he grinned. “Yeah, you think so?”

“Totally,” Lance said, scooting over closer to him.

Keith looked up, also grinning. “Hmm, I better double-check. Just to be sure. I’d hate for there to be any inaccuracies in your file. It could be a matter of life and death, you know.”

“Oh, nurse,” Lance said dramatically as he leaned against Keith, smirking all the while. “Will it hurt terribly?”

“Nah,” Keith said, grabbing Lance’s hand in his. “The hardest part will be deciding where to go out for dinner.”

“I think I can handle that,” Lance told him, resting his chin on Keith’s shoulder.

Keith squeezed Lance’s fingers. “And if you’re good, you get a lollipop. Blue raspberry.”

“And if I’m bad?” Lance asked, wiggling his eyebrows cheekily.

Keith’s grin grew. “Then it’s cherry for you.”

“Then I promise to be the best patient you’ve ever had,” Lance told him.

Keith pressed a kiss to Lance’s forehead. “You already are.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, yes, I know that this is all a violation of the Hippocratic Oath on various levels but it's fanfic. That being said, don't do what Keith did, no matter how obnoxious or cute the patient is. This has been a PSA.


End file.
